Safety fire-alarm box.



L. SHUBATT.

SAFETY FIRE ALARM BOX.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3 .1916.

1 17,844. Patented Feb. 27, 1917.

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L. SHUBATT.

SAFETY FIRE ALARM BOX. APPLICATION FILED JULY 3. 1916.

1,217,844. Patented Feb. 27, 1917.

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' III/Ii s'rars ATE LOVRO SHUBATT, CENTERVILLE, IOWA.

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SAFETY Finn-ALARM BOX.

Application filed m a, 1916. Serial No. 107,400.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Lovno SHUBATT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Centerville, in the county of Appanoose and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Fire- Alarm Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements'in safety firealarm box.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of, a fire alarm box adapted for automatically. securing the hand of the-operator therein whenever an alarm has been sent in, thereby retaining the operator at the box until the'fire department arrives and ascertains the exact position of the fire.

A further object of the device isto provide a fire alarm box having an electric switch for operating the alarm system, an actuation of the said switch resulting in tripping a hand-cuff member positioned within the box and adjacent the hand receiving opening in the wall thereof. p

A still furtherobject of the'device is the provision of an alarm box'provided with mechanism adapted to prevent malicious tampering with the signal'mechanism and arranged for automatically retaining an operators hand positioned within the box whenever the same is inserted for sending in afire alarm. With. these general objects in' view an others that will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel combination and arrangement of partshereinafterlfully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and then claimed.- [j I In the dra'wingsforming a part of this application and-in which like designating characters refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views Figure 1 is a central horizontal sectional viewthrough the device with'the mechanism in its set position.

Fig. 2 is-a similar view thereof in its operated position. I V V Fig. 3v is a central vertical longitudinal sectional view through the same.

7 Fig. 4cis a perspective view of the arm engaging member detached. N

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken upon line V-V of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a view similar toFig. 5 with the trip arm released.

Fig. 7 isa similar viewwith the trip arm revolved to 1ts moperative position, and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the trip arm and plate with the arm in its set arrangement. v I

Referring more in detall to the-drawings,

a box or casing 10 is arranged for contain ing the mechanism of the device, the same having a swinging lid. or cover 11 provided with a suitable formof lock 12, the said casinghaving a receiving opening 13 in its forward wallor side 14 adapted for the reception of the hand of an operator when turning in the fire alarm.

AT-shaped switch 15 is pivoted as at 16 within a rear extension 17 of the casing '10 being normallyheld out of contact with the two terminals 18 of 'the alarm circuit wires 19 of the system by] means-of a coil spring 20. A door 21is provided for the extension 17 having a glass sight opening 22 therein.

A hand cufi' or wrist engaging member 23 formed of a single piece of resilient material 7 is mounted within the casing 10 having its free ends oppositelysecured as at 24 to the casing bottom. The member 23 consists of a circular hand receiving loop 25 integral with parallel normallycontacting legs 26 terminating in outward'lyflaring feet 27, itbeing noted thatthe loop 25 is positionedinwardly of the hand receivingopening 13 of the casing. Engaging springs 28 are secured to the .casing bottom being tensioned against the feet 27 assisting in closing the legs 26 together when the device has been tripped.

A slidingrack 29 is arranged within the casing in longitudinal. alinement with an opening30 communicat ng between the casing 10 and the extension cas1ng17, an 1nsu-.

lating'contact block31 beingprovided on the. rear end of the rack-29 adapted for engaging the upwardly projecting arm 32 of the switch-lowhen the rack 29 is rearwardly projected. Albrace33 is provided with a central slot 34 .therethrough for slidably journali-ngthe rack 29 while a gear 35 in constant'meshwith the rack 29 and revolubly mounted uponthe bottom 36 of the casing by means of apost 37 is adapted to be turned upon opening the casing door 11 for retracting the .latch 29 to its-set position.

A coilspring 38 surrounds the rack 29 I being in contact between'the brace 33 and a washer39 carried by the said rack, the said spring 38 tending to project the rack 29 'thr oughlthe-rear opening 30 to its switch I throwing position as best illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

A wedge-shaped head 40 is carried by the forward end of the rack 29 adapted to engage between the feet 27 during the forward movement of the rack 29 when moved by the gear 35 and whereby the racks 26 will be forcibly separated and the loop 25 enlarged to a diameter slightly greater than that of the casing opening 13.

A trip arm 41 is journaled through a trip plate 42 carried by the casing bottom 36 and is provided with a pointed toe 43 seated within a notch 44 in the lower edge of the plate 42 as best illustrated in Fig. 8 of the drawings. A spring-pressed detent 45 normally resiliently engages a flattened side portion 46 of the trip arm 41 retaining the said trip arm against accidental turning while the engagement of the toe 43 within the notch 44 prevents the trip arm 41 from turning until the said trip arm has been forced downwardly by means of thehandle 47 with which the trip arm is provided.

From this detailed description of the invention, it will be understood that when a person desires to send in a fire alarm he thrusts his hand through the casing opening 13 and the loop 25 with the elements in their set positions as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The rack 29 being retracted is arranged with the spring 38 under compression retained by means of the toe 43 engaging the washer 39 and with said toe seated within the plate notch 44. The operator grasps the trip arm handle 47 for sending in the alarm and forces the trip arm downwardly, releasing the toe 43 fromthenotch 44, whereupon the spring 38 forcibly projects the rack 29 rearwardly turning the toe 43 laterally and engaging the block 31 with the switch arm 32, thereby shifting the switch and closing the terminals 18 by electrically connecting the same by means of the said switch. It will be understood when the fire company arrives at the box, the lid 11 is opened and the gear 35 is turned by means of the squared shank 48 thereof until the head 40 of the rack 29 forces open the legs 26 and the loop 25 for releasing the operators hand and whereupon the trip arm 41 is revolved to its normal position engaging behind the washer 39 and seated within the plate groove 44.

The present form of the invention is believed to be the preferred embodiment thereof although minor changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 7 7

What I claim as new is 1. A device of the class described com-.

prising a casing having an extension and a communicating opening therebetween, a switch for the fire alarm system within the said extension, an arm engaging loop member within the casing, operating means for the said switch engaging with the said loop member .when the device is set, and releasing means for the said operating means.

2. A device of the class described com prising a casing having a hand receiving opening therein, a hand cuff member in the form of a loop having leg portions and flaring feet secured within the casing with the said loop arranged'inwardly of the said opening thereof, a switch for the alarm system, operating means for the said switch normally engaging the flaring feet of said loop to hold the legs separated and the loop enlarged to a diameter greater than the said casing opening, and retaining means for the said operating means.

3. A device of the class described comprising a casing having a hand receiving opening therein, a hand cufi' member in the form of a loop having leg portions and flaringfeet secured within the casing with the said loop arranged inwardly of the said opening thereof, a switch for the alarm system, operating means for the said switch normally engaging'the flaring feet of said. loop to hold the legs separated and the loop enlarged to a diameter greater than the said casing opening, a washer upon the said operating means, a trip plate within the said casing, a trip arm longitudinally and revolubly journaled through the said plate, the said plate having a keeper notch therein, and a projecting toe upon the said trip arm seated within the said notch and arranged within the path of movement of the said washer.

4. A device of the class described comprising a casing having a hand opening in the front wall thereof and an opening in its rear wall, an extension casing overlying the said rear opening, terminal contacts for the fire alarm system within the said extension, a normally released T-shaped switch pivotally arranged within the said extension operatively positioned with respect to the said contacts and having an operating arm arranged rearwardly of the said last-named opening, a hand cufi loop having integral resilient members inwardly flaring and attached to the bottom of the said casing with the said loop arranged inwardly of the forward opening thereof, an operating rack longitudinally movable having a path of movement in the plane of the said switch arm, a projection spring for the said rack, a retaining washer for the said spring upon the said rack, and a trip member arranged rearwardly of the said washer with the spring under compression when the rack is in its set position with the loop in its open position. V

5. A device of the class described comprising a casing having a hand opening in the front wall thereof and an opening in its rear wall, an extension casing overlying the said rear opening, terminal contacts for the fire alarm system within the said extension, a normally released T-shaped switch pivotally arranged within the said extension operatively positioned with respect to the said contacts and having an operating arm arranged rearwardly of the said last-named opening, a hand cufi? loop having integral resilient members inwardly flaring and attached to the bottom of the said casing with the said loop arranged inwardly of the for- -ward opening thereof, an operating rack longitudinally movable having a path of movement in the plane of the said switch arm, a projection spring for the said rack, a retaining washer for the said spring upon the said rack, a trip member arranged rearwardly of the said washer with the spring under compression when the rack is in its set position with the loop in its open position, a setting gear for the said rack, and manual releasing means for the said trip member.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

Lovno SHUBATT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

